HOMES OF OLNEY

940.564.2979

Junker-Harris House

Bur Oaks Acres

Address:935 North Ave. G

Original Owners:

C.W. (Charles William) Stowe (1857-1926) and Emma Martha (Kunkel) Junker (1869-1899)

Mark and Karen Harris are the current owners of this property that was reportedly built in 1894 by C.W. (Charles William) 1857-1926 and Emma Martha Kunkel 1869-1899 Junker.

In searching deed records of Young County, Mr. Junker bought 80 acres of land from J.P. Dungan in 1908 and this is the present site of the house. Mr Junker had a reputation of being a house-mover, so he may have learned this from moving the house to higher ground since the original site was subject to flooding.

The Junkers married in 1887 and had seven children with only six surviving to adulthood. After Emma died, C.W. married a widow (Sarah Emily Minor 1850-1934) who had six grown children.

After some intervening owners, the A.D. Odells became the owners around 1941 as he came to Olney to open the International Harvester Dealership. They moved on to 901 West Oak in the early 1960s and the house was vacant when the Dave Harris Sr. family came to look at it for their permanent home. When they looked at the property, a horse stuck his head out of a window, but they bought the house anyway.

Helen and Dave Sr. lived here the rest of their days and it is now with their son and his wife. Mark Harris said the family named the property after a Bur Oak on the property with an estimated age of 150 years; the Bur Oak acorns are the size of a hen’s eggs.

If you have any relevant information you would like to add or subtract from this article, please contact Clifton Key at 940-564-2979.